A New Hampshire high school student said her principal told her to remove her apparel supporting Donald Trump, including a “Make America Great Again” hat and shirt, during the school’s “America Pride Day.”
Epping High School freshman Ciretta Mackenzie wore the “MAGA” gear this week as part of the school’s ongoing spirit month, Boston 25 News [1] reported Friday.
Her principal Brian Ernest reportedly confronted her and told her shirt and hat violated the school’s dress code policy.
Mackenzie, however, said there is nothing in the school code against political clothing.
“It’s just a shirt, and it only says ‘Trump make America Great Again,’” the student said. “It doesn’t say anything like build a wall, so I don’t get how it could be offensive, how it could be disrespectful.”
The student said she took her hat off and covered her shirt with a sweater after she was confronted but told the local news station that she was made to feel ashamed after the incident.
“Some kids are making me feel like I’m uneducated and a bad kid for believing what I want to believe and that’s not right,” Mackenzie said.
Epping High School freshman Ciretta Mackenzie chose to wear her MAGA gear on ‘America Day’ at school. She was asked to cover up her shirt by the principal, she feels she did not violate the dress code policy and believes her rights were violated @boston25 [2] pic.twitter.com/aPTRbjXsuY [3]
— Julie Leonardi (@JulieLeonardiTV) April 12, 2019 [4]
Epping High School Superintendent Valerie McKenney told Boston 25 News that there were two other students who were asked to change their attire.
“The Epping School Board and Epping District’s position is that this event should not ever have taken place, and we are committed to the creation of a school environment that promotes open and free thought and dialogue,” McKenney said.
The incident has been under investigation and the Mackenzie family reportedly met with Ernest on Friday.
Ernest sent a letter saying he will draft a plan to promote civil discourse and diversity in the school, the outlet noted.
“Since the event of April 8, there has been a multitude of responses, some of which have fact-based information and other responses less factual,” Ernest was quoted as saying in the letter. “I have always been respectful and sincere in my approach to promote civil discourse and free speech/expression. I want our students to be free thinkers and be able to express their opinions in a respectful manner.”
The red cap has been a polarizing symbol of Trump’s campaign and has sparked other instances of conflict since the 2016 election.